#complete fic

[discordantwords]

NOW COMPLETE!

Chapters: 23/23 Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson Additional Tags: Post-Reichenbach, Alternate Season/Series 03, John Watson is a Mess, Mary Morstan is Not Nice, Bad Mary Morstan, Secrets, Lies, Pining, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sherlock Holmes Misses John Watson Summary:

Sherlock Holmes is back from the dead. Things only get worse from there.

Read it here on AO3!

#sherlock #johnlock #complete fic #angst with a happy ending #lots of angst #nothing to celebrate

[proxima-writes]

Title: cruel summer | chapter 6

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Pairing: No outbreak!Joel Miller/Female Reader

Rating: Explicit (18+ MDNI)

Chapters: 6/6

Read on AO3 | Masterlist | Join a tag list

Summary: Joel takes a contracting job renovating a master bedroom and bathroom while the homeowners are away for the summer on a cruise.

He wasn’t expecting their twenty-three year old daughter and the thoughts he’d have about her.

Author’s Note: This is the end! Thank you all so much for enjoying this little fic that I have loved writing. Requests are open if you have anything you wanna see in the future 🥰

Additional Tags/Warnings: explicit sexual content (18+ MDNI), age gap (23F and 38M), mild/moderate angst (resolved!), alcohol consumption, discussions of family dynamics, semi-public sex, unprotected p in v, oral sex (f receiving), slight fem dom?, dirty talk, pet names. Let me know if any are missing!

You don’t hear from Joel the next two days, save for the text he’d sent the night he dropped you off at your apartment with a broken heart. He said he’d fix this and god, you want to believe him. But silence doesn’t feel promising.

Your dad has called no less than twenty times since that night. You’ve let them all rot away in your voicemail graveyard. You don’t have the motivation to do much besides sit on the couch for your daytime crying and move back to your bed for your nighttime crying before exhaustion finally wins and you fall asleep.

There’s a knock at your door on the third day, but you don’t make any move to answer it. You hear the key turn in the lock and your mom enters the apartment.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she says gently, setting down an armful of groceries in the kitchen before sitting beside you on the couch, smoothing your unwashed hair from your face with a gentle hand. “I’d ask how you’re doing, but I think I know the answer.”

Tears prick at your eyes. “It hurts, mama.”

“I know, baby,” she murmurs. She pulls your head to her chest. “Have you heard from Joel? Or your daddy?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything from Joel. Dad’s called a bunch, but I…I don’t wanna talk to him, mama. He was so mean.”

“You gotta think about where he’s coming from. You’re his only baby, his little girl. He’s having a hard time separating the baby he used to rock to sleep from the woman who can make her own choices. And he reacted with the heart of a dad, not the brain of a logical man.”

You sniff. “That doesn’t make it any better.”

“I know. You don’t have to forgive him. I’m spittin’ mad at the man myself. But I just wanted you to know.” She presses a kiss to your head. “Now, help me put those groceries away. I have somewhere I gotta be in an hour.”

________

Joel nervously scrapes at the paper label on his beer bottle as he waits for his lunch guest to arrive. He’s been a wreck the past couple of days, trying to keep it together in front of Sarah while his mind wanders to you, your last words to him ringing in his ears.

I love you, Joel Miller. I hope you find it in you to not be a coward and love me back.

That’s exactly what he intends to do. He just needs someone on his side.

Which is why he texted your mom a few nights ago, asking if he could talk to her.

The woman in question approaches the table and Joel stands to greet her, holding an arm out for a handshake. She only rolls her eyes, pulling him into a hug that surprises him. When she seats herself, the waiter swings by and takes her order for a glass of Chardonnay before leaving the two of them to stare at each other.

“So. Joel Miller. You love my daughter, huh?” She asks. He swallows nervously.

“Yes, m’am.”

“And my husband was an asshole to you about it?”

He considers his response. “It..uh..could have gone better.”

She nods. The waiter drops off her wine glass and she takes a dainty sip. “Well. Tell me the whole story.”

So he does. He leaves out the more salacious bits, because your mom doesn’t need to know about what happened in her kitchen, instead focusing on how you drew him in with your sweet disposition and he was helpless to avoid falling in love with you. He tells her about bringing Sarah over and how you played with his little girl like she was the only thing that mattered in that moment. He talks about the trip to the aquarium. He mentions his stupid attempt at pushing you away.

“And I can’t do that again, m’am. I don’t want to. I told your husband that she’s the best thing that’s happened to me since Sarah was born, and I meant every word.”

The whole time, she stays quiet, sipping her wine. Occasionally, a small smile will pass across her lips.

“You know, my own daddy didn’t like my husband when he first met him. Thought he was a no good troublemaker. I think my husband forgets that he’s just as in love with someone’s daughter as you are with mine. And one day someone will love your little girl, and you’ll think they’re not good enough for her, too. It’s the curse of being a father.”

Joel nods, unsure of what to say. Your mom finishes her glass of wine before continuing.

“I think you should join us for dinner tonight, Joel. And I promise to change the gun safe code before you get there.”

________

Joel shows up at your parents house with a bottle of wine and enough nervous energy to power a small city. He feels like he might throw up as he waits for someone to answer the door.

Thankfully, it’s your mom. He hands over the bottle of Chardonnay he brought and she gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“Chin up. You got this,” she says, patting him on the shoulder and guiding him to the living room.

Your dad is sitting on the couch, a glass of whiskey in hand as he staunchly refuses to meet Joel’s eyes. He takes a seat in one of the accent chairs.

“My wife says I owe you an apology,” your dad says. “And that I need to get my head out of my ass before I lose it up there for good.”

Joel has to fight back his laugh, biting his lip hard.

“I just want my daughter to be happy. And she’s right, she’s an adult now. I forget, sometimes,” he continues. “She used to ask me to check for monsters under her bed and in her closet. Hard to believe that same girl is about to graduate college. Become a doctor. Save the world. All the best things I always wished for her. And I also used to wish she’d find someone to love her. And I can’t begrudge you for being that person. So, I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” Your mom shouts from the kitchen. Your dad rolls his eyes.

“For being an asshole. And ruining your date,” he grumbles. He drains the rest of his drink.

“Thank you, sir,” Joel replies. Your mom enters the living room.

“Excellent. Now, come on, Joel. Let’s talk New Year’s Eve plans.”

________

It’s New Year's Eve and your mom showed up at your apartment just after dinner with a garment bag and a stern expression.

“You are coming to the party, young lady,” she insists. “Now get in the shower.”

You do what she asks with heavy limbs. You still haven’t heard from Joel. Your dad’s phone calls have stopped. You’re not exactly looking forward to seeing him tonight.

When you get out of the shower, your mom is wielding your blow dryer like a weapon. You sit at your desk while she styles your hair for you. You do your makeup under her watchful eye, then slip into the shiny silver dress she brought for you.

“Gorgeous. Come on. Let’s go.”

She hustles you into the passenger seat of her car and drives to her house. There’s a whole line of cars parked along the curb, and you groan at the idea of having to mingle with their friends.

“Alright, in you go, chop chop,” your mom says, shooing you from the vehicle. You enter the bustling house, forcing a smile as some of your dad’s business colleagues and your mom’s friends say hello, pulling you into hugs and cheek kisses.

Your mom brings you a glass of champagne, pulling you along at her side as she talks with her guests. When the doorbell rings, your mom politely asks you to answer the door.

When you do, you feel like you’re hallucinating. Standing on the front porch is Joel, dressed in a suit, his wild curly hair slicked back and his face clean shaven.

Christ, the man can wear a suit.

“Hey, baby,” he says.

Seemingly out of nowhere, your dad appears beside you. “Hey, Joel! Come on in, can I get you anything to drink?”

You look between the two men, feeling like you’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone. Have you missed something?

Your dad shakes Joel’s hand, all smiles, and your questions only multiply. Joel squeezes your hip as he passes by, following your dad to the kitchen for a drink. You trail behind them, confused as hell as you watch them chat like they’re old friends and your dad pours him a glass of whiskey.

“Uh, Joel?” You ask. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, sweetheart,” he replies. He excused himself with your dad and you lead him upstairs to your childhood bedroom, his palm hot on your lower back.

In your room, you shut the door and take a deep breath. “Joel, what’s happening?”

“I fixed it,” he says, setting his glass down on your old dresser.

“You fixed it,” you repeat incredulously. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” he says, stepping closer and slipping an arm around your waist, “I’m all in. No more runnin’. No more secrets. No more bein’ a coward. It means I’m yours, and you’re mine, and nothin’ is gonna change that.”

You blink at him. “But…my dad—“

“Met with him and your mom. Had some good talks. He just wants you to be happy, baby. He did threaten that he knew a good place to hide a body if I hurt you, though.”

“Why didn’t you call me? Or text me?”

“Because when I came back to you on my knees beggin’ for forgiveness, I wanted to have everythin’ squared away.” He drops down to one knee, then the other, looking up at you with those big brown eyes of his as his hands grip your hips. “So, can you forgive me, baby?”

You smirk. “I could probably be persuaded.”

“Naughty girl,” he murmurs, trailing a hand up your calf. “You want me to earn it?”

“Yeah,” you whisper, voice already breathy and your core clenching in anticipation. “I think you owe me a real thorough apology, Joel.”

He grins at you as his fingers reach the hem of your dress, urging it up your thighs until it’s bunched around your waist, exposing your panties underneath. He gently pulls them down your legs, eyes glued to your face as he does. He urges you to step out of them once they’re around your ankles.

Tossing them to the side, he lifts one of your legs and situates it on his shoulder, opening you up to his hungry gaze.

“Missed you so much, sweetheart,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to the inside of your thigh. “Was goin’ crazy without you.”

“Less talking, more apologizing,” you demand, breathing already labored.

He huffs a laugh against your skin before angling his face toward your center, his nose brushing your needy clit as he licks a broad stripe through your folds, his tongue dipping into your entrance. Your head drops back against the door with a groan.

“You gotta be quiet, can’t have all those nice people downstairs knowin’ you’re gettin’ your pussy devoured, huh, baby?”

You bite your lip to hold your noises as he returns to his apology, licking and sucking and biting at you until you’re a writhing mess.

“Joel!” You whisper-shout, tugging on his hair. “Want your cock, baby, please?”

His lips are shiny with your essence as he stands, hands working his belt and fly open in quick succession. He presses a messy kiss to your lips as he frees his cock, an arm wrapping around your waist to lift you up, your legs automatically circling his hips. His hot length slides against your clit and you moan into his mouth, the sound swallowed in his kiss.

He presses you against the wall so that he can use one hand to position his cock at your dripping entrance, pressing his hips forward to drive himself inside you. Your arms cling to his shoulders as you gasp at the stretch.

“Christ, darlin’,” he whispers against your neck. “I’m not gonna last long like this.”

“Don’t care,” you reply, swiveling your hips in an attempt to get him to move. “Come on, baby, you’re not gonna make me cum standing still.”

Joel chuckles darkly, drawing back and slamming harshly up into you, the power of it knocking the breath from your lungs. He pounds into you harshly, his hands sure to leave fingertip shaped bruises on the skin of your hips and ass where he holds you to drag you over his length.

“Touch yourself, pretty girl, I need you to cum with me,” he demands. You slip a hand between your bodies, fingers circling your clit with little finesse as you work in tandem with Joel to reach your release.

It shatters over you in a consuming wave, your legs going tight around his waist as you lean forward to bite your scream into his shoulder. You feel his cock pulse inside of you as he presses in deep, his release warm as it fills you to the brim.

You slump against him, boneless in the aftermath. He presses a sweet kiss to your shoulder before gently lowering you to the ground, an arm looped around your waist to support you as you try to stand on shaky legs.

He tucks his softening cock away into his boxers, pulling his pants up. He locates your panties on the brown and kneels down to help you step back into them.

“Not gonna steal this pair?” You tease. He nips the inside of your knee in retaliation.

“Only because I’m not about to send you out in your parents house with my cum dripping down your thighs,” he replies, situating the fabric on your hips before pulling your dress back down over your thighs. When he stands, he pulls you into a deep kiss, his palms framing your cheeks. “I love you,” he says as he pulls back.

You grin at him, smoothing your fingers through his mussed hair. “I love you, too.”

________

You rejoin the party, your hand in Joel’s as he leads you to the kitchen for a drink refill. It’s nearing midnight, and your dad has turned on the TV in the living room to the ball drop in anticipation.

The man in question is in the kitchen with your mom, the two of them flushed from their drinks and the heat of the full house. Your dad gives you a tentative smile.

“Hi,” he says as the two of you approach. You release Joel’s hand to pull him into a hug, his arms wrapping around you tightly.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispers.

“I know. Thank you, dad,” you reply. You don’t miss the shine in his eyes when you pull back and kiss him on the cheek. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” he tells you.

The noise in the house starts to grow as the ball begins to drop, the countdown echoed in chorus by the party goers. Joel hands you a glass of champagne, pulling you into his side as he starts to join in.

“3…2…1! Happy New Year!!”

Joel tilts your face to his, planting a kiss to your lips, in front of everyone. When you pull away, your mom tugs you into a hug and your dad shakes Joel’s hand, both men smiling.

And you can’t help but think how amazing it is that one summer can change your whole world.

Tag list: @huffle-punk @telepathay @johnwatsn @hopelessromantic727 @caatheeriinee07 @leeeesahhh @whereasport @pedr0swh0r3 @yellingloudly @dragon-of-winterfell @mydailyhyperfixations @liati2000 @endlessthxxghts @fake-bleach @thedeadsingwithdirtintheirmouths @lovebandrry @str84pedro @daddy-din @missgurrl @paleidiot @mattmurdock1021

#no use of y/n #joel miller x reader #joel miller #joel miller fic #joel miller smut #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfiction #joel tlou #joel x reader #cruel summer #complete fic #complete

[edenwolfie]

’Til our compass stands still by edenwolfie

A Hualian Canon Divergence AU

After getting lost in Ghost City, Xie Lian bargains away years of servitude to the Gambler’s Den to help a man in need. He dons the robes of a worker and hides his face and life behind an enchanted mask, protecting himself from the city’s denizens. Xie Lian finds an unexpected home in Ghost City before he ever sees the lord of it, the infamous Hua Cheng. When he finally does, something about himself seems to catch the attention of the Ghost King, slowly striking up an unusual friendship. Xie Lian must figure out how to navigate his burgeoning feelings, how to keep his identity to himself, and how to get over a ghost so clearly in love with someone else.

Fandom: Tian Guan Ci Fu / Heaven Official's Blessing

Relationship: Hua Cheng/Xie Lian

Rating: Explicit & No Archive Warnings Apply

Word Count: 178k (complete)

Characters: Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, Yin Yu (background), OCs

Additional Tags: Ghost City, canon divergence, different first meeting (you know what I mean), slow burn, secret identity, identity porn, mutual pining, angst with a happy ending, fluff, friendship, found family, first kiss, first time, original characters, canon-typical violence, discussion of suicide, PTSD, panic attacks, masturbation, book spoilers, hurt/comfort, semi-public sex.

#hualian #xie lian #hua cheng #tgcf #tgcf fanfic #heaven official's blessing #canon divergence #complete fic #edenwolfie writes

[anna-hawk]

Red Blossom

Based on a deliciously hot fanart by @nkeiiin, whose art never stops inspiring me 🧡🧡🧡

Frank Castle x Matt Murdock

Summary: Frank Castle has an auto repair shop next to flower shop owner Matt Murdock. Frank finds himself regularly observing the florist moving easily through his plants and flowers. They haven't talked a lot, but after they mutually help each other out, they slowly get closer.

Rating: E 🔞 // Status: 6/6 // Current WC: 26,9k

Tags and warnings: Alternate Universe – No powers, Flower shop AU, Mechanic!Frank, Florist!Matt, slow burn, friends to lovers, fluff, explicit content, semi-public sex

Read it on AO3

Excerpt:

Frank was sitting at his desk in the manager’s office, and taking a long drag from his mug of coffee while he browsed through the more urgent invoices he had to send out. A loud, metal sound coming from outside his repair shop had him lifting his head and turning it towards the source of the noise. His office’s window was giving onto the corner of the narrow alley running to one side of his building. Right next to Frank’s shop and across that alley, was a flower shop, where Frank was currently watching a man in the process of rolling up the rolling shutters. Frank checked the time on his wristwatch and smiled to himself; 7.30 on the dot. The flower shop owner always arrived at the same time, right on time, five times a week. Since he tended to get to work before 7AM on most days, Frank had had the time to notice the ritual of his neighbor in the six months since he’d opened the repair shop in Hell’s Kitchen. During that time, they had exchanged a few quick words, but Frank hadn’t found out much more about him, both of them busy with their respective jobs. He knew the obvious, like his name, since it was written underneath the shop name on the storefront, that he was punctual, and most of all, that he was blind. The latter information was something that had Frank speechless whenever he saw Matt Murdock gracefully navigating the flower displays outside the shop, a large pot or vase in each arm, or showing his customers to this or that plant and flower, with no sign of the white cane he used when he arrived or left. 

After outgrowing his previous auto repair shop in Queens and opening this one right next to a florist, Frank had expected Murdock to complain about the noise and the smells. Frank had walked up to the flower shop a couple of days after they’d opened up for business, to introduce himself and excuse any future racket. Murdock had smiled lightly and waved away Frank’s concern, but Frank had still waited for the other shoe to drop. The street they were sitting on was rather busy, meaning that Frank’s shop wasn’t the one making the most noise, but the place he’d bought used to be a row of three garages and caused minimal disturbance. Murdock had never said anything, however. He’d even gifted them a small potted plant a few weeks in. The plant was now sitting in Frank’s office and one of his employees was taking care of it because Frank had no idea how to look after anything green.

#frank castle x matt murdock #fratt #the punisher #daredevil #frank castle #matt murdock #fratt fanfiction #frank castle fanfiction #matt murdock fanfiction #frankmatt #mes fics #complete fic

[stevieschrodinger]

Just Steve

Read it on AO3

Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

There’s a long few minutes of comfortable quiet, Steve letting his head fall back against the wall, and Rob’s sneakers squeak on the tiled floor as she shifts, “I think...I think Eddie likes you, too.” Steve snorts, “yeah, well, not according to him.” She’s quiet for a minute, then, “you coming to Hellfire?” “Pretty sure I won’t be wanted.” Robin bumps him with her shoulder, “Henderson loves you, and so does Jane. Lucas has a weird hero worship thing going on. Even Mike is warming up to you, kinda’. I know for a fact Max likes you.” “Max is horrible to me literally every chance she gets.” “Yeap, that’s how I know, it’s how she shows affection” Steve eyes her speculatively, “it’s true, I swear, if she didn’t like you, she wouldn’t waste the energy even trying to talk to you.” Steve sighs because, strangely, that is true.

Additional Tags:

Past Abuse

Past Sexual Assault

Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con

Rape Recovery

Hurt/Comfort

Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Angst with a Happy Ending

Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics

Alpha/Omega

Omega Eddie Munson

Alpha Steve Harrington

Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents

mentions of physical abuse

High School

Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things)

Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies

Getting Together

Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Eddie Munson

Dungeons and Dragons

Recreational Drug Use

Background Relationships

Protective Wayne Munson

#eddie munson #stranger things #steve harrington #steddie #ao3 writer #ao3 link #read it on ao3 #ao3fic #ao3 author #complete fic

[porcelana-r0ta]

Almost Saved You With Prayer

Fandom: Trash of the Count's Family

Relationships: Jour Thames/Deruth Henituse, Jour Thames & Original Cale Henituse

Word Count: 1745

Summary: When her son is born, his Rings are strange, and Jour is heartbroken.

Ao3 Link: [Here]

Her son’s birth is a long and painful one, but it is worth it when a bundle of soft fabric is placed gently in her arms, her little baby still crying angry tears. She’s so in love with her child and exhausted from delivering him that she doesn’t immediately notice the Rings of Life that circle around him in concentric, overlapping bands. 

“Cale,” she says, her voice hoarse from her own screams. “Cale. His name is Cale.” 

“A perfect name for the heir of the Henituse County,” the midwife says kindly. “Shall I send for the Count?” 

“Yes.” She’s breathless. Starstruck by the soft red baby hairs on her newborn’s head. He’s still crying, but she doesn’t care. She just loves. 

“As you wish, Countess.” With a bow, the midwife leaves, and not even a minute later, her husband comes running in. 

“Jour,” he says, panting, his eyes wide and full of wonder. He is quickly at her bedside, his gaze darting from his son to his wife. “The baby?”

“His name is Cale,” she says. “He wants to meet his father.” 

Deruth’s hands tremble as he takes Cale from her. One hand under the baby’s body and the other under his head, supporting the weight that Cale can’t hold up yet. 

“Hold him closer to your face,” she instructs, “so he can see you.” 

Deruth follows her instruction, and something in Cale stalls. His sobbing devolves into sniffles, and then ceases altogether, hazy little eyes blinking imploringly up at his father. 

Her husband is suddenly in tears himself. 

“Cale,” he says, and his tears fall. “Our son, Cale.” 

“Our son.” Jour smiles the words, safe and happy in her mouth. “We’re parents now.” 

“We are.” Deruth lifts the baby just a little higher and lowers his forehead to Cale’s. “Gods, Cale. Mommy and Daddy will always be there for you.” 

Her smile goes a little smaller at that. 

“Yes, we will.”

xxXxx

The next day, when Jour’s brain is no longer flooded with endorphins and exhaustion, her closest maid, Amelia, hands her Cale, and Jour finally notices the Rings around her baby boy. 

They start from the chest, as everyone’s Rings do, and then expand outwards, one for every year of life the person will experience. Cale’s Rings are healthy and bright silver, normally reassuring, if not for the fact that there are three sets of Rings. One is the healthy and bright set, another is a dim set of flickering gold, and the last is a rusting brown, sick in its life. 

Her breath catches in her throat, and if she were not in bed, she would have surely collapsed. 

“My Lady?” inquires Amelia, her tone cautious. “Is everything alright?” 

“Oh, yes,” she says. “I was… I was just struck by the wonder that is my baby.”

“He is lovely,” Amelia says happily. “The County is surely blessed to have him.” 

“Yes,” Jour agrees. “Amelia, please give me a few moments alone with my son.”

“Yes, my Lady.” And Amelia bows out, leaving Jour to stare at the two sets of Rings, and how the first set cuts off so abruptly and violently in slivers of silver. 

“Oh, my baby boy,” she whispers in the loneliness of her bedroom. “What happens to you?”

She reaches out, her hand shaking, and she latches onto that broken Ring, the fortieth band. Her fingernails dig into the noncorporeal form.

Show me, she commands her Ancient Power. Show me everything.

She sees blood and fire and agony and regret. The tear of flesh and bone. A figure kneeling in blood. And she hears weeping and screams and the clash of blades against blades and armor alike. 

And then she hears it: 

“Do we have a deal?” 

“...We do.”

She comes out of the vision crying for her son. She can’t see through her tears. 

“Cale, my baby.” She places her hand over her mouth to muffle the sobs. With her other hand, she pulls Cale to her chest, as if to bury him there forever and protect him from that wretched future. “No! No, please, no, not my baby....”

xxXxx

When Jour was a child, she had a brother fourteen years her senior. His name was Ashur, and by the time she was capable of storing memories, he was married with a son of his own, 

“Jour,” he said once when she was sighing over a boy at age fifteen. “Don’t be too excited. We are Thames.” 

“I know,” she replied, annoyed. Little sisters were always annoyed at older brothers, no matter the age difference. “I can still like them.” 

He gave a sad little smile, “Yes, you can. Perhaps I was too harsh. You won’t always be able to enjoy this time, after all.” 

She wrinkled her nose, “You sound all old, Orabeoni.” 

“I’m decently old, for a Thames.” 

“Our parents are older.” 

“You and I both know that Mother and Father are the exception, not the rule.” 

Her chest became heavy, and Ashur continued, “Time gives the Thames enough mercy to live on.”

“I know,” she whispered, and she pretends not to see the way Ashur’s thirtieth Ring breaks into red sparks of nothingness. 

xxXxx

The maids think she has postpartum depression, and she doesn’t know how to explain herself, so she doesn’t correct them. She just continues to pour herself over her old Thames texts, searching for any way possible to spare her son from his pain. 

By the time he’s a year old and Deruth tearfully begs her to take care of herself, she has to start looking for a different path. 

She pulls aside Head Butler Ron Molan, who’d been hired a year and a half ago. 

“Ron,” she says. She bounces her son on her hip to keep him from being fussy. “I’m sure you’re aware that Henituses don’t hire just anyone.”

“Of course, my Lady. This Ron is pleased to have a job here so that his son might be raised well.” 

“That’s good.” Jour plays with her son’s red hair that matches her own. “Ron. I know what the Molans used to do on the Eastern Continent.” 

“Ho?” His voice is suddenly dangerous and quiet, but Jour knows him, knows his Rings and his son’s Rings, and she thus knows she will be fine. 

“I want you to protect Cale,” she says. She looks up from her son’s hair to meet Ron’s eyes. “Protect my son, Ron, and you and your son will never have to run again.” 

He relaxes just a bit, but it’s enough. 

“This Ron would never do otherwise, my Lady.” 

“Good.” She sighs, presses a kiss into Cale’s hair, and says, “Thank you. Thank you, Ron.”

xxXxx

There’s not much else to do after ensuring her boy will live as long as possible, somehow until age forty and eighteen and seventy-three all in one. The Thames studied time, not space, but there are still enough cross-referenced texts in her library that she knows it’s not regression but transmigration. 

Her baby will be leaving his family, not just like her, but it will be enough. 

When he’s four years old, she runs her index finger around his fifteenth silver ring, the future flashing across her mind’s eye, and thinks, Well, not much of a family. Not much of a father.  

She asks Deruth to always be there for her child, to say no when he needs it, and Deruth just laughs. 

“Well, he’ll have everything he’ll ever need!” he says. “He’s a Henituse, and your son, at that. How can I say no to your visage?”

She gives a wan, watery smile. That might have been nice to hear before Cale was born, before she saw his future. 

“We can’t let him be too spoiled, dear.”

Deruth embraces her from behind, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her into his chest. He buries his face in her red hair, “Well, no.  But he deserves it.”

“It would be a disservice to our son.” 

He sighs out a laugh, “You’re right. You always are. No, we won’t spoil him.”

“You’ll say no when he needs it? When it’s best for him?” 

“Yes, of course. Especially if it’s best for him.”

“Good,” she smiles brighter. 

Later that night, she creeps into her son’s room. At four, he sleeps soundly, no longer a colicky newborn or a toddler in pain of teething. She rests her finger on his fifteenth silver ring, and weeps. 

Nothing has changed. Her husband is a liar. 

Jour doesn’t know what to fucking do. 

xxXxx

Jour runs her fingers around Cale’s fifteenth and eighteenth silver rings and tries not to feel betrayed whenever she looks at her husband or the Molans. 

It’s not their fault her son is so purely Thames that they believe his act without any training.

xxXxx

Jour’s son is eight and she is on her last Ring. She’s done everything she can for him and still she’s done nothing. There’s only one thing left to do.

One night, while Deruth is out on business in the city nearby, she cries herself to sleep. 

When she awakes, she writes a letter. 

“To the person who will be living in my son’s body…” She accepts what must be done. The man—White Star—in her son’s future cannot be allowed to acquire her full Ancient Power.

xxXxx

Next week, when Jour leaves for her trip to Harris Village, she kisses her husband. Then, she hugs her son, tiny and small and so full of love that he would destroy himself for children sprung on him with no notice, and she only barely holds back her tears. 

“Goodbye, Mama. I love you!”

“And I love you, Cale.” She holds his face, rubbing her thumbs under his brown eyes, and he smiles trustingly up at her, believing that she’s coming home healthy. 

Her heart breaks. She hugs him again. 

Deruth reaches out to hold her hand while she hugs Cale, and she takes it, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before letting it drop. 

She loves him, too, and she would choose him in every lifetime. But she doesn’t want to touch him when she knows what he will do to her son.

Long after the carriage has left Rain City’s limits, she weeps. 

She is leaving her son with people who will let Cale rot alone in alcoholism and self-hatred, the joke and scorn of noble and common society alike.

Maybe that makes her worse than all of them.

#tcf #lcf #trash of the count's family #lout of the count’s family #fanfic #ao3 #jour thames #deruth henituse #og cale henituse #original cale henituse #one shot #complete fic

[theothermaidoftarth]

World on Fire

Chapter 3 (of 3)

Full list of cw on ao3

Excerpt:

Cregan is watching his son depart with sad eyes. “Every time I look at him, she’s there peering back at me. They may be Stark grey but his eyes are just like Arra’s. I couldn’t kill his curiosity, not for anything.”

She almost forgets herself and takes his hand again, as she had by the pools; she only just manages to curl her fingers into her palm, tucking her hand away from the temptation. He sees and locks eyes with her for a long breathless moment. Nettles wills him to turn away. He does not and goes further, holding his hand out to her.

“Dance with me.” Now she has a reason to touch him, she cannot help but think as all noise is muted. Something about him is different from when they last met. He seems determined, resolute. Thus he was in the training yard. No, it is her who is different, too many thoughts to corral, too many stray feelings which coalesce into a mass too big to be swerved. She will miss him when she leaves. She must have some happy memories, she thinks again. Something to take with her, to lead her through whatever comes next. Nettles takes his hand, his callouses sending a pleasurable shiver through her. Her hands are no less chapped and yet he holds hers in his as if it were petal-soft as any lady’s. Sound rushes back like a wave towards the sea, cresting around her. The music is slower than the previous dances. Thus the dance will be too. 

“I hope you’re prepared, my lord.” Cregan looks at her quizzically and she only sighs, half laughing. “Your poor feet.” 

“I can handle more than you credit me, Mistress.”

“If you say so,” Nettles parries. She feels light with something. Nerves. It’s foolish to be nervous.

Or is it? she ponders as she notes the eyes on them while they take their positions upon the floor, eyes she hadn’t felt when she danced with Torghen. She almost wants to do something to justify their avid gazes.

A gentle press to her hand draws her eyes to Cregan. “Look at me, not them. Or your feet.” A smile curves the side of Cregan’s mouth, something warm in his gaze. A warmth which touches her too, as if she walks through flames. 

So here is the final chapter! I will be writing a little more of them in this ‘verse though; please subscribe to the series page to be updated when the companion pieces are up. From now on, I’ll only use tag lists for oneshots or the initial chapter of a multichapter fic.

Thank you to everyone who’s expressed interest in this fic.

@richardsthirdnipple @witheredoffherwitch @snowprincesa1 @arcielee @emilykaldwen @hieronymph @zae5 @tremendouswolfsaladranch @lawolfe @gwenllian-in-the-abbey @aifsaath @pebblume @strangedragonqueen @acrossthesestars

#F&b fic #asoiaf #nettles #nettles asoiaf #nettles f&b #cregan stark #nettles x cregan #nettles x cregan stark #f&b au #OtherTarthianMaidWrites #world on fire #rarepair #rare pair #complete fic #my edit

[darke-faerie]

New fic! Ahh a new to me series! I really enjoyed writing this and exploring Xie Lian's ace confusion! ^.^

p.s if this requires other tags, please let me know!

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 天官赐福 | Heaven Official's Blessing (Cartoon) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Shī Qīngxuán & Xiè Lián Characters: Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Hua Cheng (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Shi Qingxuan Additional Tags: Asexuality, Asexual Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Embarrassment, Sexual Inexperience, Asexual Character, Established Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Established Relationship, Love, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Internalized Acephobia, understanding Hua Cheng, Happy Ending, Friendship Summary:

Xie Lian thought he was ready to have sex with Hua Cheng but when the moment comes he feels....nothing.

In embarrassment he runs away to his palace in the Heavenly Realm and wonders if his long used lie had finally come true.

Wind Master arrives and helps Xie Lian to realise why exactly he's feeling this way...

#heaven official's blessing #tgcf #hualian #xie lian #hua cheng #asexual xie lian #xie lian x hua cheng #wind master #shi qingxuan #xie lian and shi qingxuan #asexuality #ace fic by an ace author #m rated #complete fic #read on ao3 #heaven official's blessing fanfic #tgcf fanfic #darke_faerie fics

[ml-nolan]

We made it, friends. The last chapter of Music When You Speak is up.

Hob needs reassurance. Dream has just the thing.

Music When You Speak (72083 words) by The_KickIt_Domain Chapters: 15/15 Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Hob Gadling, Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling Characters: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Hob Gadling, Death of the Endless, Matthew the Raven, Desire of the Endless, Delirium of the Endless, Roderick Burgess, The Corinthian (Sandman), Lucien | Lucienne (The Sandman), Jessamy the Raven, Alexander Burgess, John Dee | Doctor Destiny (The Sandman) Additional Tags: Rock Star Dream of the Endless, Musicians, Record Store Owner Hob Gadling, BAMF Hob Gadling, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus Loves Hob Gadling, Smut, Falling In Love, Stalker Roderick Burgess, Kidnapping, The Endless are a Rock Band, Alternate Universe - Human, Top Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Service Top Hob Gadling, Bottom Hob Gadling, Bottom Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Protective Hob Gadling, Happy Ending, Dream of the Endless is a Horny Little Weasel, Canon Typical Endless Sibling Dysfunction, light blood, Violence, Fistfight, Emotional Manipulation, Threats, BAMF Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, SpünkelCouchen, YAY WE FINALLY GOT THE SPUNKELCOUCHEN ----- "I should have asked you earlier, but I don't suppose you'll still be in town tomorrow?" Hob says. "It'd be lovely to see you again." The man truly looks regretful as he says, "We won't." It was worth a shot. They hardly know each other. There's no reason for the sick film of disappointment settling over him. "Ah, well. I'm happy to have met you anyway," Hob says, subdued. "Are you doing anything right now?" -- When incognito rock star Dream of the Endless drifts into Hob Gadling's record store, it's instant attraction. Neither of them expected things to get this serious.

#music when you speak #dream x hob #the sandman #dreamling #rockstar au #record store au #complete fic #fic finale

[creamytinydays]

The Crush (Everlark Fanfic) - now complete!

Chapter 7 now up!

Thank you to everyone who has followed this story!

Looking for a multi-chapter (20k+ words), complete Everlark fix? How about Everlark in the Marvel universe? Check it out!

#http://www.multiversitycomics.com/reviews/spider-man-the-black-cat-strikes-1/ #everlark #marvel #spiderman #black cat #katniss #peeta #thg #fanfic #ao3 #the crush #complete fic #ch 7 #omg I complete something #ahhhhhhhh

[discordantwords]

NOW COMPLETE!

Chapters: 6/6 Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Additional Tags: Djinni & Genies, Wishes, Time Travel, Temporary Character Death, Mutual Pining, John Watson is a Mess, Sherlock Holmes is a Mess, Sherlock Holmes Loves John Watson, John Watson Loves Sherlock Holmes, Angst with a Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Magical Realism, Magic,

"You never asked me to make him love you back. That's always one of the first things that someone asks me, you know. 'Make him fall in love.' 'Make her love me.' 'Make him return my feelings.' 'Make him want me.' Blah, blah, blah, on and on and on. But you didn't do that. Neither did he."

This is a story of seven wishes.

One wasted wish, five wishes that changed the world, and one wish that changed nothing at all.

A Fandom Trumps Hate gift for @khorazir

Read it here on AO3

#sherlock #johnlock #complete fic #angst with a happy ending #time in a bottle

[arimakes]

Time Travel AU, No Upside Down 📖🕓🌌

#librarian eddie #eddie munson #complete fic #steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie stranger things #steddie

[bougiebutchbinch]

That's a wrap, folks! Thanks for coming with me on this voyage!

Rating: Explicit Characters: Izzy, Ed, Stede, Lucius Relationships: Steddyhands, Lucius & Izzy Warnings: mild somno, some self-hating internalised sexism, references to past assault/abuse, and, of course, a/b/o.

Enjoy!

#steddyhands #blackhannet #ofmd fanfic #izzy hands #stede bonnet #ed teach #ofmd #ofmd ed #ofmd blackbeard #ofmd izzy #ofmd stede #ofmd lucius #lucius spriggs #my fic #bbb creates #our flag means death #complete fic

[anna-hawk]

THE TEACHER AND THE DEPUTY

Shane Walsh x F!Reader

If you've followed this story, then no, you're not dreaming, I finally finished the fic after nearly giving up on it one year ago. I just wanted to give out a huge thank you to everyone who's followed it over the last 3 years.

Here's the link to it on AO3.

#shane walsh x reader #shane walsh #the walking dead #shane walsh smut #reader insert #AO3 link #the teacher and the deputy #complete fic #mes fics #I'm too overwhelmed to make a better post sorry 😅

[omgpurplefattie]

Part of my modern City AU.

Fang Duobing's mum has paid Li Lianhua a sneaky retainer to keep the three vanlife guys and their Lotus bus around in the City for a bit.

This is their chance to tackle some long procrastinated projects.

Chapter 31: A Lot of Future

As the Lotus guys make ready to leave the City for some warm beaches, everybody who likes them says good-bye in their own way. Then, they drive away.

That's it -- we're done! Thanks everybody for reading and commenting, with a special nod to @busarewski for cheerleading, and @lyselkatz for the lovely picture I commissioned from her.

This is now complete and no longer a WIP. People who don't like to read WIPs are now safe to read this!

#mysterious lotus casebook #city au #fang duobing #li lianhua #di feisheng #modern au #the trio are vanlifers and the Lotus tower is a converted bus #complete fic #WIP finished #WIP no more!

[sunnylucy31]

Four years after starting it, I’ve finally completed my breakout Pricefield fic, The Words I Cannot Speak.

After having written and posted 9 chapters in 8 days, I think I need a break lol.

There were times I thought I’d given up on it, that it would just sit in my backlog unfinished forever. It’s thanks to some very dear friends (and especially @willow-j) that I’ve been able to reach this point. Now I can say I’ve finished a longfic. May it be the first of many.

If you’d like a complete, novel length Pricefield fic about letter writing and some truly USELESS pining, give it a read for yourself, and let me know what you think!

#life is strange #chloe price #max caulfield #pricefield #fanfic #my writing #complete fic